This proposal requests support for a Keystone Symposia meeting entitled Mycobacteria: Physiology, Metabolism and Pathogenesis- Back to the Basics, organized by David R. Sherman and Sabine Ehrt, which will be held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada from January 15 - 20, 2011. This meeting will address basic understanding, treatment, and prevention of tuberculosis, with a focus on the physiology, metabolism, and pathogenesis of M. tuberculosis. While the Mycobacteria program is primarily pathogen-focused, we have planned this meeting to run in parallel with the Keystone Symposia meeting on Tuberculosis: Immunology, Cell Biology and Novel Vaccination Strategies, a program focused on the host. In combination, these meetings are designed to attract scientists with interests in both pathogen- and host-focused disciplines, while providing joint sessions each day to encourage and facilitate interactions. For example, we will host a joint session on "Systems Biology", an innovative and powerful approach that is just starting to be applied to TB research. Joint sessions will also address treatment and prevention of tuberculosis with sessions on drug and vaccine discovery strategies, and capacity-building for clinical trials. Other joint sessions include a focus on the host- pathogen interface. The pairing of the Mycobacteria meeting and the meeting on Tuberculosis- which will share a keynote address, 4 plenary sessions, and 2 workshops- renders this meeting unique and enhances opportunities for exchanges between researchers who do not typically interact. The Mycobacteria meeting is intended to provide a state-of-the-art overview of M. tuberculosis biology and pathogenesis;to highlight the translational implications of this work;to provide researchers with access to relevant data from diverse model systems, topics and levels of investigation;and to help define the most important questions to be addressed. Project Narrative: Tuberculosis (TB) is a devastating global health crisis, killing someone in the world every 15 seconds. After decades of neglect, TB research has gained increasing attention and resources in recent years. This resurgence has resulted in many significant findings on the biology of TB disease, including discoveries that may lead to new diagnostics, drugs and vaccines. The Keystone Symposia meeting on Mycobacteria: Physiology, Metabolism and Pathogenesis- Back to the Basics will address the latest findings on the physiology, metabolism, and pathogenesis of TB.